May Sun Shoes Manufactory (美新鞋廠)
York Lo: May Sun Shoes Manufactory (美新鞋廠)
Ad for May Sun Shoe in 1938(Source: 新型畫報 – 民國廿七年（1938）創刊特大號)
May Sun Shoes Manufactory was founded in the 1930s by Yip Chi-shing (葉智成) with its factory located at 18B Aberdeen Street in Central. From the 1938 ad above, its phone number was the auspicious and easy to remember 28662 and its leather shoes were sold for $6.50 a pair. The three characters on the right were “comfort, durability and luxury”.
May Sun owner Yip Chi-shing (left) with chirman Lee Ping-fai (李炳輝) and vice chairman Chiu Bun (招斌) of retail trade group at the expansion of May Sun’s Kowloon branch in 1958 (華僑日報, 1958-11-06)
Over time, a branch was added at 296 Des Voeux Road Central and a Kowloon branch was added at 580 Nathan Road in 1955 with an expansion in 1958 which added other merchandise such as ladies and children clothings and handbags imported from the West. In the 1970 directory Xianggang Shiguang, the firm’s address was listed as 31 Aberdeen Street and in addition to C.S. Yip, a Miss Helen Yip was listed as manager. As a firm, May Sun Shoe Manufactory was incorporated in 1984 and dissolved in 2000.
Opening of May Sun’s Kowloon branch at 580 Nathan Road in 1955 (WKYP, 1955-2-27)
This article was first posted on 29th January 2018.
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